A climber from the United States and another from Switzerland have died on Mount Everest, the first fatalities of this year’s season, expedition organisers in Nepal said Thursday.
On average, around five climbers die every year on the world’s highest peak.
But in recent seasons, Everest has seen a surge in the number of climbers, leading to overcrowding that has been blamed for multiple deaths.
“Two climbers passed away on Wednesday,” Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks told AFP.
Swiss climber Abdul Waraich, 40, died near the summit after reaching the top and suffering exhaustion, said Chhang Dawa Sherpa from the same organization.
“We sent two additional Sherpas with oxygen and foods, unfortunately Sherpas couldn’t save him,” he said on Instagram.
American Puwei Liu, 55, reached the Hillary Step – an outcrop just below the summit – but was helped back down after he suffered snow blindness and exhaustion, organizers said.
He was able to reach Camp 4, “before he suddenly passed away” late Wednesday, Chhang Dawa Sherpa said.
The bodies will be brought back down when the weather clears, organizers said.
Eleven people died climbing the world’s highest peak in 2019, with four deaths blamed on overcrowding.
On one day, 354 people were lined up to reach the top from Nepal’s southern side and Tibet’s northern approach.
To ease the crowding, Nepal’s tourism ministry announced rules capping the number of people who can summit the mountain per window of suitable weather.
Expedition organisers have been told to send teams up the peak in accordance with permit numbers or to limit the climbers who go up at one time.